I realized today that the next couple of weeks are not going to be easy. 

I'm feeling better, but still not 100%, yet I have many small deadlines and lots of things that need to get done, so I have to be working like I'm feeling 100%. 

Amongst the process of getting projects done, and slowly and steadily working through things, I am also trying to keep up on working on my project, and trying to keep taking pictures for my own sanity.

I'm trying to make sure there is something positive about each day.

Today was cold and rainy and basically gross outside, but I did notice that some of the trees are actually changing color around here finally, and while it isn't magnificent by any means, when you look at the landscape you notice little ribbons and splotches of red and gold. I saw that today around the pond behind our condo building. I snapped a photo to see what I could capture of it.

I've taken to carrying my SX-70 in my purse with me because it just folds up so nicely and it is instant gratification when I find something I want to photograph. There are many days that I don't use it, but it felt really nice to use it today. 

Tomorrow there are more projects to finish, and there will be another blog post to write. 

For now, I'm going to enjoy what I did accomplish today.

Until tomorrow

~Peace~

 

 

*Just a note: please don't ask me to do anything else right now. I have quite enough to do. There is a good chance I might hyperventilate if you do ask me for anything more! I'm just saying…*

One more smaller project done today!

Today, I spent the day in my studio diligently working on (when not distracted by the internet) processing the photo session I did a few weeks ago for some friends of their two sweet little girls.

Soly

Nerys

Even Grandma and Grandpa came with for some photos! 

We had a great time! I love watching these little girls grow up! 

 

Some of you might be wondering when I'm going to get back into blogging about my project and what I'm really working on. The truth is, it will be just a little while. I have a few more little projects like the above photo shoot to finish up. No, these won't be added into my big project in any way, but they are supporting it. These people are doing something pretty amazing – trusting me to take pictures of their family and record a moment of their life for them – and they are paying me! That money is being hidden away and will be going towards buying more film to take pictures for this project, buying matt board, and helping me afford to have someone else cut all of the matts I need so I don't have to go crazy with all of that math and straight edge cutting (trust me, that isn't pretty!)  So, to these patrons, I am very grateful, and I am enjoying the work!

Until tomorrow.

~Peace~

Today followed a rather busy weekend.

I am finally feeling more human than I did last week though.

I spent a vast majority of the day in my studio, working on finishing up an edition for the Assemblage project at MCBA. Earlier I had been working on printing around 140 prints of this image. Today I was working on printing the dialog on those images.

I start with mixing ink in a color that will accent or work with the colors of the image. I chose blue for this one. 

Last week I did manage to get the dialog for this image typeset, which made my day today go a bit faster. After getting the ink mixed, the rollers put on the press, and everything put in place, it only took me a few tries to get the image and words lined up the way I wanted.

140 prints later, I was finished!

Ok, really, it did take me quite awhile today to get this done. Each image took a little bit of adjusting. No two prints are quite exactly dead-on identical. I don't see that as a flaw though. I see that as one of the reasons I love analog processes. Things can be similar, but in some way will always be unique.

I left the prints out to dry overnight. I'll see how they are doing when I go back tomorrow. 125 of these will go to MCBA, and 5 will be left for my show next September. 

I do love how my press looks with ink on it.

Of course some of my fingers are also that same color blue….

The last thing to do with these prints will be to sign and number the edition. Hopefully, the ink will be dry and I'll be able to do that tomorrow, and drop off the edition where it needs to be on Thursday, actually 2 days early!

Until tomorrow

~Peace~

 

Recovering – getting back to normal! Still to drug induced to think straight though.

I'll be back to my regular posts next week. Going to take a bit of time off. 

I think I need it.

 

~Peace~

My allergies have gotten the best of me this week, and after an especially busy day at work today, I don't have much energy left for being creative. 

Instead I'm laying low, and working on recovering for the weekend ahead of me. 

There are plenty of little projects to finish up, some much needed website reorganizing, and other little things to keep me occupied while I rest. 

Maybe my Bennedryl drug induced state will inspire some great  writing! 

Until tomorrow…

~Peace~

Today I have been working on a different part of my project: adding dialog to one of the images.

When I add dialog to any of these images, I don't just add it digitally. I guess you can say I add it the analog way.

Step 1, making the prints.

Step 2, typesetting the dialog by hand using lead type. 

Each letter gets individually laid out where it is supposed to be. Then the whole bunch is held together and placed in the printing press.

These are the prints I am working with. 140 prints of this image.

125 will be for MCBA for an assembling project they are doing. 5 will be for my show at Bloomington, and then the extras will just be there for me to screw up on the layout with.

This is the printing press I will use to print the text. It is a Chandler and Price Pilot press. 

I decided to use this font because I really like how simple it is. It seems to work with the text I am creating. 

Is this the easiest way to put text on an image? No. It takes a lot of time to typeset everything, and it takes a lot of time to make sure your images lines up with the text where you want it. It also takes quite a bit of time to mix the ink to the right color so it works with the colors in the images and is readable. The press also takes quite a bit of time to clean after the printing is done. 

So why do I create this much work for myself? Because there is nothing like the look of press printed text on an image. Adding the text digitally doesn't look the same. This presses the letters into the print, giving it texture, and adding another layer to the image. In many ways, it is like comparing digital cameras to film cameras. There are many things that film can do, ways it can make an image look that a digital camera can't. But that doesn't make the digital camera bad, just different. Do I think everything should be printed like this? No. But for artwork and bookwork, it is amazing, unpredictable (to a point) and beautiful. For this project, I couldn't do it any other way.

If you are interested in seeing any other images of my studio, look here.

~Peace~

So what is analog?

Two photos taken with 35mm film, two photos taken with a digital slr.

Just thinking today.

~Peace~

Sometimes there are a lot of words. Others are pretty quiet. 

I took these pictures awhile ago, sometime just as the weather was warming up. I found this wall on the University of Minnesota East Bank Campus. I love these photos, and I love playing with them as layers in other images. I love seeing how the words show through, subtle, or bold.

You will see these images again soon.

Until Monday…

~Peace~

For quite awhile I have been working on collecting images, taking photos wherever I am, capturing whatever interests me at the time. The images get scanned into my computer and get sorted through, looked at, and sometimes left to be looked at again later. Many of them come to light in these blog posts. One of the greatest things I have found with this blog is that no matter what I have time to work on during the day, I always make time to process a couple of new photos. Those will then be ready for me to add into this project somewhere when the time is right. It is a little step, but in the end it counts for a lot.

I do find that as I am going through a large folder of images, I (somewhat subconsciously) pick out images to work on that reflect what I'm feeling at the time. 

I know exactly why I chose these tonight.

Rides at night at the Minnesota State Fair

The Orbiter ride at the Minnesota State Fair.

The sign above the Pinball arcade at the Minnesota State Fair.

Right now I am exhausted. I feel like life, in general, is quite like a pinball game, or one of the crazy rides at the State Fair. Everything is moving fast, I feel like most days I end up bouncing from one thing to another, and my time to sit down and focus is often a lot less than I'd like it to be. I'm not whining. This is the reality of being an artist, working a job besides that, and well, having any little bit of a life. This is the glamorous life I chose, and this month, well, it is a bit less glamorous than others. In fact it is making me down-right exhausted. I love what I do, and I wouldn't give it up for anything, but there are times it is less than rosy, and it is easy to get overwhelmed. This is one of those times. I have a lot of appointments, deadlines, and mini-projects coming up this month. I'll deal with it, and come out on the other end just fine, but it is a journey.

What can you do about it? Nothing really, except to understand. Now you know why I'm a bit frazzled, why I can't possibly squeeze anything else in this month, or why I forget what you asked me to do last week. Just be patient. I know the Tilt-a-Whirl I feel like I'm on this month will slow down a bit soon. I am trying really hard to take it one little bit at a time, but somedays that is easier said than done, and I easily get overwhelmed. If you can, listen, and help me focus. 

And, no matter what, I hope you like the pics I posted tonight.

~Peace~

Today the little things were drawing me in. The tiny details that I noticed when I took the pictures, but are often just glanced over later.

Sometimes it is very important to focus on the little things, see the parts instead of the whole. Focus on something that is manageable instead of being overwhelmed by everything at once.

This was at my little cousin's soccer game. Only the adults were standing still.

I found this fence on a walk in NE Minneapolis.

I really like the little warm fuzzy guy on the dash board.

This truck had once been lettered for a company. The letters have been peeled off, but a ghost image of them remains.

I love fuzzy dice hanging in the window of an old car.

 

I'm trying to keep seeing the little things right now, so I don't get overwhelmed. 

I'm less than a year away from this show. It's pretty easy to feel over loaded at this point.

One day at a time.

Until tomorrow…

 

~Peace~